Why it works: Quince and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,444 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Quince Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Make the juice
Boil the quinces in water until they are fairly done.
Strain the mixture through a linen sack without squeezing.
Make the jelly
Add 1 pound of sugar for each pint of juice obtained.
Boil the mixture until it becomes a thick jelly.
Set and store
Pour the jelly into cups and let it cool.
Once cool, cover tightly and store in a cool, dry place.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Quince + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,444 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Quinces
- Supply natural pectin, which helps the jelly set firm.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and concentration that helps the pectin gel and preserves the jelly.
The step that matters
Boil the mixture until it becomes a thick jelly. Pectin sets only when sugar and juice are concentrated enough. Stopping too early leaves a runny jelly, while boiling too long can make it stiff and dull in flavour.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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